Land of Wondrous Cold

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A gripping history of the polar continent, from the great discoveries of the nineteenth century to modern scientific breakthroughs. Antarctica, the ice kingdom hosting the South Pole, has long captivated explorers despite its brutal climate resisting human intrusion. This narrative recounts the pioneering voyages of the nineteenth century, when British, French, and American commanders sought to penetrate Antarctica's glacial rim for unknown lands. Intrepid Victorian explorers like James Ross, Dumont D'Urville, and Charles Wilkes laid the groundwork for our understanding of Terra Australis Incognita. Today, Antarctica presents new challenges as scientists strive to uncover Earth's climate history recorded in its ice and ocean floor, while monitoring the instability of the Antarctic ice cap that threatens coastal cities worldwide. The text interweaves modern research from the Ocean Drilling Program with the dramatic tales of Victorian explorers, highlighting Antarctica's role in a planetary narrative of plate tectonics, climate change, and species evolution spanning over thirty million years. An original, multifaceted portrait of the polar continent emerges, illuminating our profound connection to Antarctica in its past, present, and future. This deep-time history of monumental scale brings the remotest of worlds within close reach, revealing Antarctica's significance to both planetary history and human fortunes.